One of the most exciting aspects of the International Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in recent years, has been the rise of wearable technology. Many different pieces of tech fall into this category, but this year the creativity on display reached new heights. Everything from smartwatches to VR headsets and even an astonishing jacket wowed those in attendance.
There are groundbreaking inventions as well as products that push established ideas forward in different ways. Take a look at the best examples of wearable technology unveiled at CES. The diversity of the products on display is impressive and provides insight into what you might be seeing on store shelves within the next several years.
Spire Smart Swimsuits
The Spire-created smart swimsuit is a unique item that turned heads at CES. Spire worked together with Swim.com on this project. The idea behind it is to enable swimmers to track their pool time without any hassle.
A device called a Health Tag is built into the suit around the waistline. This tool tracks data as you swim and syncs with a phone app provided by Swim.com. You can purchase one of these swimsuits when they launch in March.
E Ink Color Shifting Jacket
One of the most spectacular wearables on display at CES was the E Ink Color Shifting Jacket. The jacket is made entirely of E Ink. Aside from giving it an intriguing look, this technology also has some unique properties. They have developed a new product called E Ink Prism which can shift between different colors.
It’s straightforward to use. A current pulsing through the jacket allows it to shift between one of seven colors. E Ink has created a very eye-catching piece of apparel technology, and the world of fashion is sure to stand up and take notice.
L’Oréal UV Sense Patch
Arguably the most practical of all the products unveiled at CES is the UV sense patch. Keeping your skin safe from the sun’s harmful rays is always important. Eliminating any guesswork and giving you actual data about UV levels is a great idea. L’Oréal aims to make keeping your UV levels in check much easier with this invention.
Wear this patch on your body or choose to put it on something you’re wearing. It’s quite small, making it simple to find the perfect spot to place it. It will store UV data, compile information and send it to a smartphone app for you to examine. This is an exciting and useful product to watch closely.
Mars Translation Earbuds
With the world becoming smaller and more inclusive all the time, the need for translators continues to rise. These earbuds have piqued the interest of most everyone who has tried them. Earbuds that translate languages in real time will allow people to visit foreign countries and converse with others much more easily.
As of now, the technology is impressive but with plenty of room for continued growth. They are presently showcasing languages such as English, Japanese, Chinese, and Korean. Other companies are working on products that promise similar features, but these earbuds stand out as being effective and simple to use in their current state. You can even hand an earbud to another person and have a conversation using two different languages with this technology.
- Samsung Relúmĭno Smartglasses
Samsung has managed to create something with a potentially society-changing utility. These smart glasses can augment a person’s sight. They were designed to help people who have impaired vision to better see the world around them.
At CES the device was used with a Gear VR headset. It creates outlines around objects and people. This gives the world more definition, making objects less vague for people who typically have a clouded or hazy perspective. A commercial model may still be a few years away, but the technology showcased is very promising.
Ricoh Ri 100
The Ricoh Ri 100 is a new product that will make it much easier to print out your own designs on a T-shirt at home. Printing custom T-shirts is very popular, but going to a conventional business and ordering a shirt takes time. If you’re fond of the latest joke circulating online, you can use this printer to embellish a shirt with that very same joke all in one day.
With modern fad culture moving so fast, the appeal of quickly printing a design is undeniable. The printer is designed to fit into a standard desktop space. Being able to print out t-shirts at home in various colors is appealing to many. The Ricoh Ri 100 works best with solid lighter colors, but there are still many options.
It is also better at handling materials with natural fibers like cotton. The Ricoh Ri 100 makes up for its few shortcomings by being easy to use and printing shirts quickly. It is slated to be available in the U.S. market by spring time and will cost $4,500.
Ricoh Ri 3000 & Ricoh Ri 6000
The Ricoh Ri 3000 and 6000 are both very exciting to businesses that print on blank t-shirts and other apparel. These new printer models by Ricoh can provide an exceptional, cost-effective digital printing solution.
These printers are ideal for putting designs on heavy clothing like hooded sweatshirts or tote bags. Both models can print on many types of materials, adding to the appeal for businesses that sell a variety of custom items. They’re also built using very strong printheads to ensure they remain reliable for a long time. Ricoh is expected to begin rolling out these printers in Europe by late 2018.
E-Skin Smart Shirt
The E-Skin smart shirt combines the world of wearable technology with the fun of video games. Created by a Japanese company named Xenoma, this shirt fits tightly against your body and has many sensors to detect your movements. The shirt was surprisingly easy to move around in despite being so form-fitting.
To go along with the shirt, a game has been created to showcase how you can use the shirt to interact with a digital environment. The game is rather simplistic by today’s standards, but the unique way of playing it via physical movement keeps the experience entertaining. The potential exists for this product to be used together with VR headsets that are already on the market.
Vuzix Blade AR Smartglasses
Altered reality wearables have been on the rise. There is no better example of how this technology can be implemented into daily life than with these smart glasses from Vuzix. They can be synced with your smartphone to work in various ways. Navigation is an area where these smart glasses really shine. You can see directions right before your eyes. This can make the GPS experience even more user-friendly by eliminating the need to look to the side or struggle to hear a computerized voice tell you when to turn.
